Kinetic Moment Equations for a Gas of Polyatomic Molecules with Many Internal Degrees of Freedom

Abstract

The 17-moment approximation in the kinetic theory of polyatomic gases is extended to include gases whose molecules may possess many internal degrees of freedom. A closed set of moment equations is derived and their application to near equilibrium and relaxation type flows is considered. The role of complex collisions and the connection between the relaxation times and the volume viscosity are discussed.